Path to Enlightenment - Part One
by Lillian
Summary: Could a new ally mean early retirement for Cordelia? Xander begins his training with a vampire in LA.


Disclaimer: Author does not claim ownership of the characters or plot development mentioned from/of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Angel" These belong to Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox, and ect. All other character, you don't recognize of plot fluff are mine.  
  
Path To Enlightenment  
By Lillian  
  
PROLOGUE - JORDAN'S VISION  
  
His face was the picture of a thousand tortured deaths. His hands were chained above him and the look of betrayal seeped from his eyes. This vision had been a strong one interrupting Jordan's peaceful moment of painting the landscape that expanded in front of her home along the shoreline.   
  
As she stood on the deck near the pool, the scent of the ocean was replaced by the smell of dust and dirt from an old factory. As the vision faded, the safety of the sunlight returned to her. Jordan cursed the gift once again, "Damn, I was almost finish with this painting Toby, and now look at it," Jordan cried to the chocolate Labrador that was sitting beside her, "It looks as if I planted a forest in the sky. All wrong I tell you! All wrong. Well Toby, looks like we have work to do."   
  
Jordan left the painting on the stand to dry. Maybe she could make her new forest scene into a mountain scene somehow. Jordan opened the sliding glass doors to her manor and walked up the spiral staircase to her bedroom where she began to change into a pair of jeans and a white baby tee. Toby had followed her to the bedroom and was excited about going on a trip.   
  
Jordan grabbed a few doggie treats and a bottle of water for Toby and they both climbed into her mustang convertible. As the passed through the gates at the end of the drive, Jordan raised her left arm above her head and said a small incantation, "Let no one pass." And that was all that was needed for Jordan's supernatural alarm system. No human or demon could enter her property thanks to her special mystical force field.  
  
  
ANGEL'S OFFICE/APARTMENT COMPLEX - Sometime in the AM  
  
Xander walked up to the door that read Angel Investigations and wondered why he had listened to Giles when he said it would do him some good to visit with Deadboy. Xander could see Cordelia sitting in front of her computer flipping through a Glamour magazine. Wesley was on the couch near Cordelia's desk. His nose was in a book and the scowl on his face gave Xander the feeling it wasn't the latest adventure of Harry Potter. Most likely Wesley was doing a little research waiting for Deadboy to wake.  
  
Xander knocked on the door softly as he opened it and walked through. "Is this were they are giving away free donuts to the lucky survivors of the hellmouth?" Xander asked jokingly.   
  
Cordelia looked up from her magazine for a split second to see Xander Harris, ex-boyfriend, fellow fighter of demons and darkness standing before her. "No, that's one floor down at D&D Investigations," Cordelia said moving her attention back to the magazine.   
  
"D&D Investigations? I don't remember receiving a memo on their arrival. What does the D&D stand for?" Wesley asked Cordelia.   
  
"Dumb & Dumber," Cordelia said with a smile on her face. She couldn't believe he walked right into that one. Score one for Queen C and zero for the English Mental Patient!   
  
Wesley rolled his eyes at Cordelia's lack of manners to see an old friend and stood to greet Xander. "Let me take your bags. We can drop them off at my place later. Did you find the place alright?" Wesley asked. Xander gave him a little shoulder shrug and a trademark smile indicating that, 'Duh! I'm here, obviously I found the place,' gesture as he continued to smile at his host and not-so-hosty hostess.   
  
"Angel has been resting. He'll be along later to say hello I'm sure," Wesley said moving Xander's bags to Angel's office.   
  
"So things busy around here? Vamps, demons, the occasional naughty topless dancer?" Xander asked clapping his hands together as if to say he was ready to get down to business.   
  
Cordelia rolled her eyes and put away her magazine. She turned to her computer and started typing in a few lines. "Yes, we have been busy Xander. Currently our time is being wasted on trying to figure out who is behind the big green OZ curtain at Wolfram & Hart Law Firm," Cordelia said to Xander not taking her eyes from the computer screen.   
  
The printer came to life and printed out several demon names and their classifications in neatly organized columns. "This is what we have come up against so far this week. Study them, learn them, but…don't "become" one of them, got it!" Cordelia said making air quotation marks to emphasize the word become as she handed him the first page.   
  
"Wait a minute, this says page one of seven," Xander said.   
  
"Yeah, my printer's a little slow. Hold your panties on," Cordelia said.   
  
"From one week…you have seven pages?" Xander asked.   
  
"Organized by ick factor…1 being slime easy to dry clean…10 being burn everything it touched," Cordelia said with a smile handing Xander page two of seven.   
  
Xander was suddenly aware of why he might have been sent to LA. Angel needed his help or maybe Giles was playing a cruel joke on him. Either way he was glad he had left the sun tan lotion at home. He wasn't going to need it.   
  
"You will find the library on the lower level, off of Angel's apartment. Any help with the research is appreciated. Your formal training will begin tomorrow," Wesley said to Xander handing the man a stack of books.   
  
"See that's what I don't understand. The brochure said nothing about training. Just helping around the house…you know, clean up crew type stuff," Xander said as he began to read some of the titles that lay in his arms.   
  
Idiots Guide to Demonology, When Fiction Becomes Fact, Lost Weapons of the Dead and How to Find Them, Idiots Guide to Prophecies, and last but not least How Well Do You Know Your Demon?  
  
"Okay, confused…still," Xander said heading to Angel's office to set the books down and began flipping through the book on top of the stack. "Gee," Xander shouted from Angel's office, "I never thought I would ask this, but do you guys have any books…without pictures?"   
  
"Giles didn't tell him?" Cordelia asked.   
  
"I guess not. Maybe he thought Xander would get all excited and get himself killed in Sunnydale. By sending him here he is bound not to get excited," Wesley stated pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.   
  
"How's that?" Cordelia asked.   
  
"Because you'll cut him down to size every chance you get," Wesley said in a serious tone with a smile walking into the office leaving Cordelia to think about his first successful come back. As the bell signals the end of round one, our score is tied. Queen C one, English Mental Patient one.  
  
"Whatever," Cordelia said aloud to an empty room and returned her attention back to the Glamour magazine.   
DOWNTOWN ABANDONED BUILDING - STREET LEVEL - Sunset  
  
"We have an assignment. I need my best people on this one," Triton said. Triton was the new Master of the vampires since his predecessor's death at the hands of the Slayer in Sunnydale. He was next in line because he was the eldest among the vampires in this hemisphere.   
  
"Who is it this time?" Holly asked as she walked over to her Master. There was a young girl trapped in Holly's embrace and tears were falling down her cheeks. The smell of the girl's fear filled the room with an intoxicating aroma as others stepped out from the shadows to investigate their next victim for the feast.   
  
Triton handed Holly a slip of paper with an address written on it. "His name is Angel and it seems as though he has become a thorn in Wolfram & Harts side. As a personal favor to the partners, I said we would take care of it."   
  
"Yes, sir," Holly said. She wrenched the girl's head to the side exposing her neck.   
  
"Aren't you going to share love?" Zachary asked.   
  
"Sure, which side would you like?" she asked.   
  
"I'm not picky," he said with a smile. The girl had fainted and Holly held her upright as they both fed off of her.   
  
Dropping the girl to the ground like a rag doll, Zachary wiped the corners of his mouth. "Need any help?" "You can come along for the ride, but I'm sure I can handle one vampire by myself," Holly teased.  
  
  
ANGEL'S APARTMENT - Sometime in the PM  
  
It was a knock at the door that startled Angel. It wasn't the knock but the door that was being knocked that concerned him. He had just left everyone upstairs after instructing them it was time to patrol. So whoever or whatever was behind that door…was uninvited.   
  
Angel grabbed a medieval sword off the wall as he passed by to open the door to the entrance of the maze of tunnels and sewers Angel used to get around LA. Before opening the door Angel called out, "Who is it?"   
  
"My name is Jordan and it's okay, I'm not armed unless you don't like dogs," Jordan said through the door. She was a bit nervous about meeting her next mission. In the vision she had seen his handsome face and she knew this was going to be a challenge, not to fall for his charms, especially knowing that he needed her.   
  
Angel opened the door to find a stunning redhead behind it with a large brown Labrador at her side. Jordan held out her hand to introduce herself, "Hi, this is Toby," she said nodding down at the pouch. Toby barked once in greeting and then stood up to enter Angel's apartment.  
  
"Can I help you?" Angel asked stepping aside to let Jordan and Toby into his apartment. She was almost as tall as Angel was, slender with long straight red hair.   
  
"No, I'm here to help…you're a vampire," Jordan said pulling back on Toby's lease. "I'm sorry I must have gotten my messages mixed up. I'm not supposed to help demons," she continued looking around at the mirrorless dark apartment. She pulled a small cross out from under her shirt and held it out towards Angel.  
  
"Would you be so kind as to let me out…I'll just be on my way," Jordan said looking down to see the sword in Angel's hand.   
As if just remembering it was there, he too glared down at the sword. Angel walked back over to the wall averting his eyes from the pain of the cross on Jordan's neck and placed the sword back in its decorative position above the 17th century crossbow on the wall.   
  
"It's okay…I don't bite…anymore," Angel said with his back to Jordan waiting for her to put the cross away. "Who are you?" he asked. Jordan began to feel herself calm down as she noticed Toby sink to the floor and yawn with boredom.  
  
"I had a vision about you this morning and I'm here to…wait, you don't bite…anymore. What's all that about?" Jordan asked.   
  
"And here I thought I was famous," Angel joked but it was wasted on Jordan. Whoever had sent her, forgot to mention that he was a vampire with a soul working for the same side.   
  
  
ANGEL'S OFFICE   
  
Jordan stepped off the elevator with Toby at her side and waited for Angel to lead the way. "This just keeps getting more interesting by the minute" Jordan said to Toby.   
  
"Time to met the others," Angel said petting Toby on the head.  
  
Xander, Wesley, and Cordelia were all waiting for Angel in the outer office area. Cordelia, thinking it her job to distract the non-member of the demon patrolling gang, ran up to Jordan and extended her hand.   
  
"Hi, my name is Cordelia, did you get lost too? I tell you what, the next time I try to find a pet in the alley I'll just…"   
  
"Cordelia this is Jordan. Jordan this is Cordelia, Wesley, and last but never least Xander Harris. He's visiting us from Sunnydale," Angel interrupted as Jordan stepped forward to shake everyone's hand. The demon patrol gang stood by making pleasantries not knowing what to say to Angel's new friend that had appeared out of no where. Angel seeing their confusion added, "She's a seer."  
  
Toby nozzled her way in between Jordan and Angel to meet the group. The room was silent as everyone but Angel and Cordelia stood in shock.   
  
"Great this means I can retire," Cordelia finally said shaking Jordan's hand wildly.   
  
"Not exactly," Jordan said. "Toby and I are here for a certain mission and then we will head back home."   
  
Cordelia's excitement died with Jordan's last confession. "I knew it!" Cordelia said turning from the group and grabbing her bag full of stakes and crosses. "I knew I should have asked about the return policy on this gift before Doyle gave it to me."   
  
"Frances Doyle, he was your seer?" Jordan asked as she turned to Angel who was sitting behind her on the edge of Cordelia's desk.   
  
"Yeah, did you know him?" Angel asked rising from the desk. "Yes, I was the one who…never mind," Jordan said lowering her eyes to the floor. It always stung a little to know that one you had charged with a mission had lost in the battle against the darkness. Jordan looked up to see the mutual pain in Cordelia and Angel's eyes for the loss of their friend.   
  
"Care if we join you Angel," Jordan asked.   
  
"Do you have much experience in the field?" he asked.   
  
"I have been fighting demons…for awhile now. But I'm always willing to learn new tricks," Jordan said as she pulled a dagger from its side holster, hidden by her leather jacket. One end was a finely sharpened double blade; the handle portion, a pointed wooden stake. "Handmade, by a priest in Ireland," Jordan said as all the men drew near to inspect its craftsmanship.   
  
"Careful not to run while carrying that thing," Xander pointed out trying to cover the sound of jealously in his voice. Why didn't he get to carry a cool knife handmade by a priest? The answer was a plain as the shirt on his back. Someone knew better than to give him something with two pointy ends let alone one. END PART ONE  



End file.
